Proposals have been made in the prior art to provide more functional and more comfortable hand grips on golf clubs particularly putters so that better control and accuracy of putting may be obtained. Such devices, to be successful, must conform to the "Rules of Golf" published by the U.S.G.A. They must also be practical in terms of cost, weight factors and reasonably acceptable appearance. Some examples of the known prior art are contained in prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,677,099; 3,219,348 and 3,263,998.
The objective of the present invention is to further improve on the prior art in terms of a hand grip for putters which is even more comfortable to use and will provide even greater accuracy and control while putting.
More particularly, the invention is embodied in an elongated slightly bulbous hand grip which tapers forwardly and rearwardly from a median point of substantially circular cross section. Forwardly of this median point, the hand grip has a gradually changing cross sectional shape which provides flat faces on the opposite sides of the grip for the index or forefingers and a common flat face on the top of the grip for the two thumbs. At all cross sectional points, the under side of the grip is transversely curved on a preferably circular arc. The two side flat faces are at right angles to the top flat surface which receives the thumbs. The side flat surfaces for the forefingers converge rather steeply into the club shaft and are symmetrical with the central axis of the shaft. The two side flat surfaces have an included angle in the range of 30.degree. to 40.degree., preferably, and the top flat surface on which the thumbs rest are at a somewhat less steep angle to the club shaft axis, such as about 15.degree. to 20.degree.. The hand grip is of modified rectangular cross section from its juncture with the club shaft rearwardly and is gradually enlarged rearwardly to said median point. The cross sectional shape of the grip gradually changes to circular as the median point of the grip is approached rearwardly from the forward extremity of the grip.
Other features of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following detailed description.